An Ecological Study on Two Geophytes: Asparagus stipularis Forssk. and Asphodelus aestivus Brot. in the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt | ||||
| Catrina: The International Journal of Environmental Sciences | ||||
| Article 6, Volume 6, Issue 1, 2011, Page 47-58 PDF (1.41 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
Mamdouh Serag  ; Abdel-Hamid Khedr; Amina Abo El-Naga; Reda Abo-Moustafa
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| Botany Department, Faculty of Science at New Damietta, Damietta Branch, Mansoura Uuniversity. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The present study aims to evaluate the distribution pattern of two geophytes namely: Asparagus stipularis and Asphodelus aestivus along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The floristic analysis indicated that the associates with both species are mainly therophytes, chamaephytes and geophytes. Both species are found to grow in slightly alkaline soil and low to medium soil salinity. A. stipularis prefers relatively high soil organic carbon, while A. aestivus prefers soil with high calcium carbonate content. Species richness showed hum-pbacked curve along the pH and calcium carbonate gradients for both species. Species richness of A. stipularis community showed a positive relation to soil salinity and negative relation to organic carbon, whereas no noticeable trends were found in case of A. aestivus community. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that calcium carbonate and Ca+2 are the most determinant edaphic factors for distribution A. aestivus, while organic carbon, Na+ and Mg+2 are the effective factors for the distribution of A. stipularis. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Asparagus; Asphodelus; Geophytes; Mediterranean coast; soil variables; species richness; Protected Area | ||||
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